June 25 from 5 to 9 p.m. at TCC Student Center

Monday, June 02, 2014

​The Virginia Beach Reentry Council will host the second annual Citizen Prisoner Re-Entry Town Hall Meeting and Family Resource Fair on June 25 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Tidewater Community College Student Center, 1700 College Crescent.

The event will include a panel presentation to address individual questions from the audience and a resource fair to assist families who have an incarcerated or returning member. City staff and representatives from local agencies and faith-based organizations will be on hand to address issues and answer questions regarding programs and services that help ex-offenders successfully return to the community.

Pre-registration is requested for each person attending, to ensure adequate materials and handouts are available.

♦ Online registration is preferred and is available at www.VBgov.com/HS. Click on the Virginia Beach Reentry Council link on the right. ♦ To register by telephone, call Sarah Corrado at (757) 385-0876

The Virginia Beach Reentry Council was convened by the Virginia Department of Corrections Adult Probation and Parole District Office and the Department of Human Services in October 2011 as a collaborative approach to assist returning offenders successfully transition from incarceration back into society. The council’s goal is to remove barriers and provide strategies to enable returning citizens to become productive contributing members of society.

With approximately 2,492 men and women on supervised probation or parole living in Virginia Beach, re-entry can be a significant challenge for the returning citizen and for the community. Individuals released often have few resources and difficulty finding jobs, housing or help. National studies show that approximately two-thirds will be arrested again within three years of release.

Virginia has developed a comprehensive integrated system for coordinating the planning and provision of offender transitional and reentry services among state, local, civic, nonprofit and faith-based agencies and organizations. To learn more about the Virginia Community Reentry Approach visit http://www.dss.virginia.gov/community/prisoner_reentry/.

The Department of Human Services administers programs to help individuals achieve self-sufficiency and provides coordinated services and resources to help strengthen families. The mission of Probation and Parole programs is to enhance public safety by positively impacting offenders so they will lead pro-social and crime-free lives.

For more information, contact CPO Lancelot James at (757) 385-6311 or Alexis Zoss, deputy director of community support services, at (757) 385-3262, or visit Virginia Beach Reentry Council.aspx.